• Download “STROKED”, Stereogum’s tribute to The Strokes album “This Is It”. [Stereogum]

• Guess which R&B leading lady revealed that she almost died from alcoholism… [The Frisky]

• Trend Alert! Be the envy of all your most fashionable friends and rock this gorgeous galactic print! [Buzznet]

• Watch the cast of True Blood‘s new “It Gets Better” PSA campaign. [Videogum]

• Outraged by the Casey Anthony trial’s outcome? Find out what a member of the jury has to say. [The Frisky]

• Is this really the perfect viral internet video? Watch and judge for yourself. [Videogum]

• Girl Power! Adele, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry all are among the top 10 bestselling albums of 2011! [Idolator]

• New music: Listen to  Mary J. Blige‘s new song, “The Living Proof”.  [Concrete Loop]

White-hot host Beyonce mingled with pal Mary J. Blige and the ever-sexy Kim Kardashian at Lavo. All of the ladies sparkled in Schwartz earrings, bangles and other ice. As chummy as the gals seemed with each other, they proved diamonds really might be a girl’s best friend!

Click through to be blinded by the jewels of Beyonce, Blake and Kim and tell us in the comments – who was best dressed?

Congratulations are in order for Alicia Keys and Swizz Beats!

The R&B singer gave birth to her first child, a boy named Egypt Dean, late Thursday night in New York.

Alicia and Swizz began dating in May 2009 and tied the knot in July of this year.

Mary J. Blige was one of the first to congratulate the couple by tweeting her well-wishes:

“I’m So excited 2 Congratulate my brother @ therealswizzz and @Alicia keys on there New, baby, boy!!!!!!!”

Swizz also tweeted his gratitude for the new addition:

“I’m so thankful for everything I been blessed with in my life wowwwwww! #realtalk”

All the best to Alicia and Swizz on their baby boy!

The “Touch My Body” singer is teaming up with HSN to launch a Mariah-branded lifestyle collection. The line–which will include footwear, jewelry and a limited edition version of her fragrance Luscious Pink–will hit the airwaves on November 29.

Mariah isn’t the first star to head on over to HSN to launch her brand: Mary J. Blige broke HSN records in August with her fragrance, My Life. Stars like Kim Kardashian have also taken to TV-based shopping networks to sell their products.

Don’t worry Mimi fans: The line will have Mariah’s name but you won’t need her income level to purchase her wares. The prices will reportedly remain between $20 and $200.

Predications for Mariah’s HSN line? Lots of butterflies, glitter and pink: In short, it will be awesome, just like the diva herself. Will you buy stuff from Mariah’s HSN line? Share your thoughts in the comments.

• Former Saturday Night Live star Rachel Dratch is pregnant with her first child. Congratulations, Rachel! (Wonderwall)

• A group of plastic surgeons say that Lindsay Lohan‘s drug abuse and tanning addiction has made her look like she is 35 rather than 24. (Hollywood Life)

• Geek goddess and Daily Show correspondent Olivia Munn wrote a book! Look for it on the shelves of awkward geeky boys in college dorms across America. (Starpulse)

• Is recent high school graduate and R&B legend Mary J. Blige heading for Howard University? Hey, it’s never too late to go back to school. (Bossip)

Simon‘s reaction? “I have a horrible feeling that song could be a hit,” he grumbled (with an all-too-knowing smirk on his face). Immediately after, the hilarious song was a trending topic on Twitter, merchandise already getting ready for sale, with remixes spreading like wildfire on YouTube. 

Turn your volume up as high as it will go, watch the original below, and then check out our favorite covers (so far) of “Pants On The Ground.” Spoiler Alert: this may be the best song in the history of life.

Acoustic Cover:

Little boy dancing:

And the dance remix, obvi:

What do you think about “Pants On The Ground?”

Mary J. Blige is certainly hoping so.

The “Real Love” singer tells Us Magazine that she’s busting out the Hail Marys in hopes that Kanye West can turn his life around and stop humiliating teenage country singers at nationally televised awards shows.

“I pray that whatever’s going on with him, he deals with it,” Blige told the magazine on Wednesday while attending a Gucci party in New York.

Better bust out the industrial-strength rosary and put on the kneepads, Mary; something tells us you’re going to be praying for a long time.

Tell us in the comments section: Are you willing to join Mary J. Blige in praying for Kanye West, so that he might recover from his seemingly terminal jackassery?

Vice-President elect Joe Biden‘s wife Jill had a verbal slip yesterday on Oprah Winfrey’s show when she unwittingly revealed that her husband had the choice of being either Vice-President or Secretary of State in the Obama administration. Biden’s husband held his finger to his lips and said “shhhh!” to his wife, while the audience laughed. “Ok, he did,” Mrs. Biden said in defense. The position of Secretary of State eventually went to Hillary Clinton.

The inaugural balls that the Obamas are NOT visiting are in danger of being cancelled before this evening. TMZ reports that the the Heroes Red, White & Blue Ball had to cancel appearances from Jamie Foxx, Slash and rapper Nas because funding was difficult with the Obamas not visiting. The People’s Ball, the American Music Ball, and the Veterans Ball are all reportedly in danger of being cancelled. The Obama family are reportedly already visiting 10 balls tonight.

Jim Carrey and Ewan MacGregor play two men who fall in love in I Love You, Phillip Morris, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival followed by a question and answer session with the actors. The New York Post reports that the film features some makeout sessions between the two stars. “A dream come true. I mean, look at the guy,” Carrey said when asked what it was like to kiss MacGregor.

Country singer Jo Dee Messina has given birth to her first child with husband Chris Deffenbaugh. People reports that Noah Roger Deffenbaugh was born in a Nashville hospital at 1:01 p.m. yesterday, weighing in at 6 lbs., 15 oz.

80s icon Boy George is already having a tough time in prison, according to The Sun. The singer, serving a 15 month sentence for imprisoning and beating a male prostitute, is reportedly “terrified” that he will be attacked. George was given a job as a server in the canteen, and sources say that the reportedly easy job he was given won’t be viewed well by other inmates. “He kept sobbing, ‘I can’t go to jail, I’ll be killed’,” while in a courtroom holding cell prior to his transfer, according to a source.

Dollhouse actress Eliza Dushku revealed at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend that her production company has secured the rights to controversial photographer Robert Mappelthorpe‘s life story for a biopic. “Literally this week after quite some time, we finalized the deal with the Mapplethorpe estate,” Dushku told E! in Park City, Utah. Dushku’s brother Nate, who is said to bear a strong resemblance to the artist, will portray Mappelthorpe.

There was a reported battle over Keyshia Cole singing a Mary J. Blige song during a segment honoring her at the BET Awards on Saturday night, according to the New York Daily News. Mary J.’s manager and husband Kendu Isaac allegedly strongly objected to the choice of Cole. He thought there was already too much comparison between Keyshia and Mary,” a source said. “They were going back and forth on it all week. It got ugly.” Cole ultimately did not sing a Blige song.

The Inauguration parties were on this weekend, according to TMZ. Not only was the huge We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial held this weekend but other smaller parties were as well. TMZ reports that D.C.’s L2 Lounge cleared their club of regular patrons at 3 AM to allow Will.I.Am of the Black-Eyed Peas to party undisturbed with entourage and friends

Actor Denzel Washington opened the festivities with a speech imploring the crowd to remember the event’s theme of unity, while Tom Hanks paid tribute to Abraham Lincoln.

But it was the music that was the true stand-out of the gathering.

Bruce Springsteen riled up the crowd with a performance of his post-9/11 anthem “The Rising.” Springsteen was the first in a long procession of musical talents to perform for Obama, 47. Mary J. Blige belted out an impassioned rendition of “Lean on Me,” followed by Jon Bon Jovi dueting with Bettye LaVette on the Sam Cook classic “A Change Is Gonna Come.” John Mellencamp performed his hit “Ain’t That America,” while Sheryl Crow and the Black Eyed Peas‘ will.i.am collaborated on Bob Marley‘s “One Love.”

Usher, Shakira and Stevie Wonder came together to deliver a performance of Wonder’s  “Higher Ground,”‘ while U2 cranked out “Pride (In the Name of Love)” and “City of Blinding Lights.”

The Dublin quartet was followed by Obama himself, who discussed the challenges that the nation faces and the legacies of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Lincoln.

Country singer Garth Brooks and Beyonce Knowles, who’ll be singing during the first dance for President-elect Obama and his wife Michelle at his inaugural ball on Tuesday, also performed.

One of the many events the Presidential Inaugural Committee will be sponsoring is “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial,” which will be a 90-minute concert beginning Sunday at 2 p.m. HBO will air the historical performances at 7 p.m. that evening.

Scheduled to appear at “We Are One”: U2, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Bruce Springsteen, Usher, Will.I.Am, John Mellencamp, Shakira, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, John Legend, Heather Headley and Sugarland‘s Jennifer Nettles.

MTV reports that many of the artists will perform covers of songs with historical importance, to note the fact that Obama, 46, is taking office in a difficult time in the nation’s history.

Historical passages will be read by Denzel Washington, Queen Latifah, Jamie Foxx and Martin Luther King III.

“It’s not a celebration of victory; it’s about the country coming together for the future we’re going to face,” says the event’s executive producer, George Stevens Jr.

“There’s a sense of history about it. Much of the music will be in the context of that history. The Lincoln Memorial is a kind of sacred site.”

Among other events, the Lincoln Memorial is notable for being the site of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s August 23, 1963, March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom rally, where he delivered his legendary “I Have a Dream” speech.

The director/actor/writer/producer of Madea film-series fame became the first African-American to open his own major TV and film studio on Saturday night, People magazine reports.

The facility, located at the former Delta airlines headquarters in Atlanta, was launched with a gala event attended by Will Smith, Oprah Winfrey, Sidney Poitier, Cicely Tyson and baseball legend Hank Aaron, among many other luminaries.

The evening was marked by musical performances by Mary J. Blige, Patti Labelle and Gladys Knight as well.

In a testimonial to the Why Did I Get Married? actor/writer—who grew up amid troubled circumstances in New Orleans—Smith noted, “He is not letting anyone get in his way…Those are the wonderfully naïve, arrogant, humble, powerfully American concepts that make things powerful in this country. It’s big.”